On July 28th, 2016, Promvongsa was pulled over for a traffic stop in Worthington, Minnesota. A released dashcam video shows Joswiak punching and pulling Promvongsa out of the car and onto the ground to be handcuffed. The police have charged him with fleeing in a motor vehicle, among other offenses. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is consulting Anthony Promvongsa and considering all legal options.

“OCA joins ACLU in calling for a full investigation of this excessive use of force. It is disappointing that there is another case of police brutality. Citizens need to be able to trust that the people who serve to protect their communities are not the same ones who harm them. This follows another case of police brutality against an Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) in Minnesota, Fong Lee. Lee was shot and killed as he was being chased by a police officer, and that officer has been acquitted. This loss is still fresh on the minds of AAPI’s in Minnesota,” said Vicki Shu, OCA National Vice President of Public Affairs. “Anthony Promvongsa deserves the justice denied him.”

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national organization of community advocates dedicated to the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific American Islanders (AAPI’s.)